


There's Still Holes

by Psyga315



Series: Isabelle x Reader [6]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Super Smash Brothers, どうぶつの森 | Animal Crossing Series
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, POV Third Person, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to DreamSMP, Steve From Minecraft Has PTSD, Villager Has PTSD, Wedding Night, Wedding Reception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28649259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psyga315/pseuds/Psyga315
Summary: During the reception of the Villager and Isabelle's wedding, Steve was left to ponder what brought the two together. As he remembered his past and the destruction of his nation, Steve came to a conclusion and decided to bond with the Villager over the one thing they have in common: the PTSD they had from fighting in battles.
Relationships: Alex/Steve (Minecraft), Shizue | Isabelle/Villager, Steve (Minecraft) & Villager (Animal Crossing)
Series: Isabelle x Reader [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1136312
Kudos: 7





	There's Still Holes

Steve was no stranger to foreign cuisine. While he wouldn't have minded a cooked steak, the noodles served up by Min Min were tasty enough to be an alternative. Hiring her for catering was more out of convenience rather than expenses. That and everyone really liked her noodles.

Steve felt as though the suit was just a _little_ too tight. Strange. The tux fitted him fine just months ago when he arrived onto the Smash Brothers scene. Perhaps it was a sign that it felt _too_ common for the event he was at.

Music played loudly as Steve glanced across the dance floor to the large table where the bride and groom sat. At first, it felt odd to Steve to see a human sitting next to a dog that was his size, let alone seeing them kiss when they were at the altar, but the more he looked at how the Villager was around Isabelle, the more he understood the situation.

A dog is usually man's best friend, dating back to when they shared a common ancestor with wolves and began to work with humans to get food. Considering all the applications dogs have nowadays, it seemed almost understandable for one to be so faithful a companion, that their master would want to share the rest of their life with them.

No… Master didn't seem like the appropriate term for the Villager. Even though he was the mayor and Isabelle was his assistant, they didn't convey the kind of relationship someone like a Trainer would have to their Pokémon. Perhaps this was the logical conclusion to a universe were animals have the same levels of sapience as humans.

He looked over to the other couples that have attended the wedding. Instantly, his eyes found Joker. Even if he wasn't wearing his signature mask and costume, the short, messy hair and similarly black colored suit were enough to give him away. Steve wasn't sure _what_ Joker's actual name was… Some say Ren, others say Akira. Might be something common like Arthur or Jack. Steve might have heard Joker be referred to as Kairi at one point, though it's safe to say that was _another_ Phantom Thief he mistook Joker for. Sure enough, he was with _another_ woman, one with short, black hair which was notably straighter.

 _Strange_ , Steve thought, _wasn't he dating a redhead?_ He paid no mind to him. Joker seems like the kind of person who would steal hearts on the metaphorical sense _on top_ of being literal. He paid no mind to Joker and looked at the next couple. More traditional, though, as he saw the Luminary Hero with his childhood friend.

He continued to glance around. Banjo and Kazooie were also together, though he wasn't sure if they decided to be just friends or were outright dating. That or they were wedding crashers. Terry and Byleth were by themselves, surprisingly enough. Terry was obvious, though. The wedding was intended for 'good boys and girls' and thus Mai was among the blacklist. As for Byleth…

He wasn't too sure about her. She dyed his hair lime green at some point mid-2020 and while she claims to have a wife named Sothis, she is never seen with her. In fact, no one really knew what Sothis looked like. As far as everyone was concerned, Byleth's wife was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Can't really blame her though, given the situation she came from.

War…

Steve dropped the fork he had. The clattering sound it made against the porcelain bowl sounded more like fireworks… Then… explosions. He closed his eyes, then opened them up again.

In place of the dance floor was nothing more than a crater with a few blocks to act as bridges. Steve could still hear the explosions, could still feel the rumbles. He could remember one of the leaders of his nation be executed in front of him and a small crowd of people among the confusion.

His mind was now clouded in this destruction and chaos until it focused on one thing…

" _Do you want to be a hero? Then_ _ **DIE LIKE ONE!**_ " A pair of Withers… Horrific entities that were first made in a fit of hubris by his precursors. The very beings that forced his ancestors to seek refuge in the End… He remembered his first encounter with them… And the destruction they wrought…

"Steve?" He quickly closed his eyes and, when he opened them once more, the man who had spawned those Withers was replaced with Steve's wife, Alex. Steve could see the dance floor once more. He glanced around and sighed in relief as he saw the fellow Smashers at their tables.

"Sorry… Just…" Alex handed the fork back to his hand.

"Another flashback, right?" Alex was no stranger to experiences like this, and Steve knows it. It was almost a miracle that they were together at all since, aside from the glowing white eyes, Steve looked exactly like the entity that destroyed _her_ nation.

"Yeah…" Steve said. He looked at his food, then over to the Villager. In spite of the name, he shared nothing in common with the Villagers _he_ knew. In fact, given his recent escapades in crafting, he had more in common with Steve himself. Though, there _was_ a major difference he noticed.

Unlike his world, where monsters and even people who use their crafting skills for selfish or evil desires, the Villager and Isabelle never came from a harsh world like that… In fact, compared to the phantom thief, the hero, the bear and bird duo, a fighter, and a mercenary, the Villager never had any sort of threat to overcome…

Steve recalled his time fighting for independence. The first time he really got into the thick of warfare. He fought for his country and while he never killed for it, he had seen others _die_ for the nation that would eventually be blown up. The Villager… never had any of that. He never fought. He never killed. He never… _Okay, the last bit is obvious_ , he thought to himself.

As he looked at Isabelle once more, he thought of another application that dogs had: therapy. While some dogs were used to help guide the blind, other dogs were trained for a more complex purpose, to help calm those with anxiety or even post-traumatic stress. It was a stretch, sure, but given how closer they've bonded since entering Smash together, it seemed like the best bet.

* * *

The reception lasted until 11 PM. By then, most of the attendants left. In about an hour, the Villager and Isabelle would leave to their honeymoon in the Alola region. If Steve were to have any chance to chat with him one-on-one, _now_ would be the time.

Fortunately, he found the Villager looking over the garden of their venue. Steve took a moment to take in the detail, namely how he could have made a better one in the matter of an hour. As Steve approached the Villager, leaning over the railing and staring at a miniature water mill whose wood had long since been warped and could barely complete a rotation, he knew that the Villager thought the exact same thing.

"Evening." Steve's calm approach made the Villager tense up before he looked to Steve.

"Oh, hey. Enjoyed the dinner?" The Villager said.

"Yes. I'm starting to see why they let Min Min into Smash instead of Spring Man." Steve said.

"Yeah… Heard rumors that she killed him and then proceeded to turn his body into ramen." The Villager shivered when he said that.

"Nah, I think that was Brocken that got turned into noodles." A moment later, Steve chuckled. "And I doubt Min Min was the one that did it. She's good in battle, but not as ruthless as, say, Sephiroth."

"Yeah… Can't believe _he's_ in Smash." The Villager's voice became distant. Soon, Steve saw the Villager stare, not at the windmill, but the small blotch of sky that rested just beyond it.

"So long as your name isn't Cloud Strife, you're good." Steve kept that calm yet gruff voice. "Though, you've been thinking about it, haven't you?"

"Huh?" The Villager asked.

"When he first arrived and attacked Mario." Steve took a moment to count his blessings that Mario wasn't injured in the fight. "Your thought was something like 'I hope he doesn't turn his blade on _me_ or…'" Steve didn't finish his sentence as he noticed the Villager cringe. "Sorry. I shouldn't be saying stuff like that now that you're married to her."

"No… It's… You're right. Isabelle means the world to me and if anything happened to her…" The Villager's voice continued to deteriorate into a sense of despondence.

"Do you… regret coming to Smash?" Steve asked the Villager.

"What do you mean?" The Villager asked back.

"The fighting, the people, the scenarios… Must be too much for a city folk like yourself." Steve said.

"… It was at first. I never faced off against monsters like Ridley or people like Bayonetta before… But… I'm adjusted to it now. Isabelle helped with that." The Villager said.

"I noticed. That and… well, I've been where you were. Back in my world, there used to be monsters that would come out at night, but so long as you knew what you were doing, you wouldn't have had to encounter them. Get lucky enough and join an established village, you never have to worry about them." Steve said.

"So… You were a Villager too, then?" The Villager asked.

"Not quite. I was just someone who wanted in on a new world. To make a name for myself… Though, it wasn't easy. My nation's leaders fought for its independence only for it to be taken over by a tyrant after an attempt for a democracy was made. I was inevitably brought into that war." Steve leaned his arms against the railing as well.

"I see… Did you… Could you…" Steve didn't need to guess at what the Villager was trying to say.

"Take a life?" Steve hesitated. "Almost." He remembered being part of the small army that chased down the tyrant. "Though… I was glad that I didn't. For even watching the person die in front of me was enough to wound me. That… and we weren't able to celebrate the victory for long." Steve clutched onto the railings as the memories came flooding back. It all played backwards…

The Withers…

The execution…

The explosions…

The betrayal…

But… that's when he thought back to something that he had long forgotten…

A speech.

"You and I aren't so different. We're both humble men trying to live our best lives, only for war to rope us in. We fought for our lives and our friends… And it has left us with scars." As Steve said this, the Villager shed a few tears.

"… Yeah. You know me too well." The Villager said.

"That's because I _was_ you at one point." Steve sighed. "I remember something a president once said. _Everything_ has damages." Steve looked to see part of the water mill, which had been way too many nails hammered into it in some vain attempt to keep the mill together. He pointed to it as the Villager's eyes narrowed onto it. "Say we take all those nails out… There would still be holes where the nails were. But… We could fill those holes and make it whole once more. It's just like our lives… There's still holes, but… we can fill them up."

"I… never thought of it like that." The Villager wiped some of his tears.

"You have a wonderful wife now who will help you through this crisis. But… You should also know that you have some good friends ready to back you up. If you need anything done back at that island you're living at, call me up. My architecture may be a bit blocky, but they're sturdy." Steve patted the Villager on the back.

"Thanks. I kinda needed the pep talk." The Villager chucked.

"Hey, Wilbur's here with the plane." Steve heard the sweet voice of Isabelle. The Villager smiled, then shook Steve's hand.

"Well, I gotta head. I'll see ya soon, alright?" He said before he left with Isabelle. Steve took a moment to see the garden once more… The name of Wilbur stirred up those memories of his past once more. There was a pain in his chest that he suddenly let out.

"Steve? Everyone's left. I think we should head…" Alex came by just as she heard Steve hum out loud. She gave a wistful smile. To everyone else, it might seem as though he were humming the song " _Hallelujah_ " by Leonard Cohen. But to Alex and Steve, it was clear he was humming the anthem of his nation:

L'Manburg.


End file.
